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There are quite a few restaurants in the city. Armed with his knife and fork, Ed Dutton helps you narrow down the choice. 
Torilla, Saaristonkatu 4 * * * * Located right next to the cinema, this restaurant looks like it’s going to be unreasonably priced . . . but it isn’t. Don’t be put off by the bizarre interior design which somehow mixes garishness with minimalism. The service is quick and friendly, the waiting staff know what they’re doing and speak English well and the food is very good. There’s a reasonable a la carte menu. There’s not so much that you don’t know what to choose but enough that there is actually some choice. The restaurant’s desserts are particularly nice and their cheesecake is to be recommended. My only criticism of the place is the décor, which borders on ridiculous. Torilla is particularly popular – I suppose it is fairly inspiring when compared to the competition – so it is usually necessary to book. It seems to be a particularly sought after venue for office parties, hen nights and so on . . . possibly because customers see as ‘affordable’ but also a bit ‘classy.’ Royal Garden, Rautatienkatu 8 * * There are quite a lot of Chinese restaurants in Oulu ranging hugely in standard and price. Royal Garden seems to be somewhere in the middle in terms of both. The food is reasonably priced for what you’re getting though their ‘eat as much as you like’ buffet in the middle of the day is probably not to be recommended. There is far less choice than at other such Chinese buffets, it costs slightly more and you get less for your money because beer is not included. One of the waiters, however, is particularly friendly and will be happy to chat to you about anything from the nature of Nepalese cooking to the central distinguishing dimensions of Finnish culture so if you want a philosophical discussion then by all means give it a go. Royal Garden is actually two restaurants because there is an Indian restaurant next to it and both are inter-connected. The Indian restaurant is very good but, unlike its Chinese colleague, it doesn’t really have that much competition in Oulu. Toscana, Hallituskatu 35 * * * * (Reviewed by Nina Lah) Located close to the railway station, Toscana is convenient for travellers and at the same time not too far away from the city centre either. The first thing you will notice stepping into the restaurant is the surprisingly tasteful décor. There is enough space to probably fit over 50 people but on a Friday afternoon the place was quite empty. On weekdays they offer lunch from 11am and 3pm which includes a main dish (prices vary from 5 to 16,80 euros depending on what you choose), drink, bread, salad and a tea or coffee. That day I decided to try an interesting combination of chicken breast fillet filled with dried tomato-mozzarella filling and mushroom risotto with spinach sauce. The portion was just right and the combination of soft chicken, filling and the mushroom risotto just melted in my mouth. Every menu meal includes 4 small pieces of bread with some kind of herby-tomato paste which for me was too mild in taste. Overall the atmosphere was nice with some background Italian music and the service was excellent. I will definitely be back maybe next time for some of their Italian pasta and a glass of wine.
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